The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee has announced the conferment of the rank of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria on 21 lawyers on Friday.
Those successful include Dr. Oladapo Olanipekun, who is a son of a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Wole Olanipekun and Emeka Etiaba, a son of a former Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Mrs. Virgy Etiaba and the National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Muiz Banire.
Others conferred with the rank are Director, Legal Services of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Ibrahim Bawa; Edward Ashiekaa; Benson Nwankwo; Joseph Bamigboye; Patrick Okolo; Prof. Maxwell Gidado; Dr. Tahir Mamman; and Dr. Akinpelu Onigbinde.
They also include: Samuel Zibiri; Adeniyi Adegbonmire; Aderibigbe Adedeji; Emmanuel Aguma; Abimbola Akeredolu; Olumuyiwa Akinboro; Gordy Uche; Uchechukwu Obi; Kehinde Eleja and Prof. Paul Idornigie.
Gidado, Mamman and Idornigie were of the academic category while the rest of the 18 lawyers were conferred with the rank as advocates.
The only female among the 21 successful lawyers, Akeredolu, was one of the three females in a total of 124 applicants that applied for the rank when the application entry opened in January.
The Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court and Secretary to the LPPC, Ahmed Saleh, announced the name of the successful lawyers at a press conference on Friday.
He said the rank was conferred on the 21 lawyers at the 119th general meeting of the LPPC on Friday “as a mark of excellence to the underlisted members of the legal profession.”
The 21 lawyers were selected after an interview of the 50 shortlisted candidates held on Tuesday and Wednesday.
However, a Lagos lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo was unable to make the final list though he was shortlisted for the final interview last year. This made the second time he got so close to getting the rank after previous attempts that failed to earn him an opportunity for the final interview.
Also a former National Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olusola Oke, who is now an APC member, was also shortlisted for this year’s final interview but failed to make the final list.
